In the medical field, there have widely been used radiographic image capturing apparatus, which apply radiation to a subject and guide radiation that has passed through the subject to a radiation conversion panel (radiation detector) in order to capture a radiographic image. Known forms of radiation conversion panels include a conventional radiographic film for recording a radiographic image by way of exposure, and a stimulable phosphor panel for storing radiation energy representing a radiographic image in a phosphor and emitting stimulated light representing the radiographic image if the stimulable phosphor panel is irradiated with stimulating light. The radiographic film with the recorded radiographic image is supplied to an image developing device, which develops the radiographic image. The stimulable phosphor panel is supplied to an image reading device, which reads the radiographic image from the stimulable phosphor panel as a visible image.
In an operating room or the like, it is necessary to read a recorded radiographic image immediately from a radiation conversion panel after the radiographic image has been captured for the purpose of quickly and appropriately treating the patient. As a radiation detector that meets such a requirement, there have been developed a radiation detector of a direct conversion type having a solid-state detector for converting radiation directly into an electric signal, and a radiation detector of an indirect conversion type having a scintillator for temporarily converting radiation into visible light and a solid-state detector for converting the visible light into an electric signal.
The radiation detector is housed in a radiation detecting cassette (cassette device), which is permeable to radiation.
As disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2003-093354, such radiographic image capturing apparatus are developed on the assumption that they will be used in order to capture radiographic images of patients in hospitals.
There are potential demands for capturing radiographic images outside of hospitals. To meet such demands, radiographic image capturing apparatus, which are mounted on motor vehicles dedicated for medical checkups, have been proposed in the art (see Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2008-206740). However, such proposed radiographic image capturing apparatus mounted on medical checkup motor vehicles are relatively large in size. Needs have arisen for capturing radiographic images of persons suffering from natural disasters at disaster sites, or persons who are receiving home-care services in their homes. However, existing medical checkup motor vehicles cannot be used in the former applications as it is difficult to get them to disaster sites. Although existing medical checkup motor vehicles may be driven to homes of persons who are receiving home-care services, i.e., home care treatment sites, the image capturing process is highly burdensome to people to be imaged, because such people have to be taken from their homes into the medical checkup motor vehicle in order to capture radiographic images. Therefore, there have been demands for small-size portable radiographic image capturing apparatus for use at natural disaster sites or homes receiving home-care services.
There has been developed a portable radiographic image capturing apparatus, which can be folded into a compact form as a whole, as disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 11-104117.